Portugal plans auction for 500MW of floating PV this September

• Portugal will carry out its 3rd solar public auction this September, with 500MW of floating PV capability set to be alloted.

Complying with public auctions in 2019 and also 2020 that both caused record-low prices, the country's government will currently look to sustain the implementation of floating solar on at the very least 7 reservoirs with its next tender process.

Environmental restrictions suggest that unlike last year's auction, power storage space will not feature, an agent from Portugal's Ministry of Environment as well as Climate Action told PV Technology.

In an interview with regional media Antena 1 as well as Jornal de Negócios, Environment Minister João Pedro Matos Fernandes stated most of the tanks that will certainly hold the floating PV projects are beside hydropower plants, enabling them to use existing grid infrastructure. Among the chosen dams, Alto Rabagão, already organizes a 220kWp floating solar pilot project from Portuguese energy EDP.

While the pre-qualification for the public auction has yet to open, Matos Fernandes claimed: "Evaluating by what took place in the last auctions, we will certainly have numerous bidders."

With Portugal aiming to cover 80% of its complete power need from renewables by 2030, whereby time 9GW of solar PV is anticipated to be deployed in the country, the transfer to auction floating solar capacity kinds part of federal government initiatives to avoid prospective land schedule issues in the future.

Portugal's State Assistant of Power João Galamba stated last November that the brand-new layout could minimize land schedule threats, as developers won't have to locate ideal websites themselves: "If we relocate to these sorts of public auctions with non-conventional surface areas, land and also surface will be various, because they will certainly be predesignated, and not something for the marketer to discover, rent or purchase."

There were plans to likewise consist of land close to freeways to host solar projects in the upcoming public auction, however this will certainly not feature this year.

Last year's solar public auction awarded 670MW of capability and also saw Spanish renewables company Enerland post the document proposal of EUR11.14/ MWh for a 10MW great deal. Both Portugal's Ministry of Environment and Climate Action as well as winning bidders from the public auction recently verified to PV Tech that project growths are advancing as planned.